RideLust

The 2011 Genesis Coupe Image: Hyundai Motors

When Hyundai announced that only their V-6 Genesis sedan would be getting a bump in horsepower for the 2011 model year, Genesis Coupe fans cried “foul”. After all, more horsepower in a car with sporting intentions is never a bad thing, and the current Genesis Coupe’s 3.8-liter V6 only makes 306 horsepower. That’s not exactly “class leading”, especially when rivals Ford and Chevy have bumped the output of their own V-6 engines in recent years. Read More…

Vans used to be cool. People tricked them out. They had little perspex bubble windows and murals of sorcerers battling dragons on them. Then the minivan came along and nobody wanted them to be cool. Well, Kia thinks it’s about time to revive the awesome custom van, man. Check out the KV7. Read More…

Ford's Chris Rahill and Chris Brown get dirty in Detroit. Image: Ford Motor Company

As promised, Ford did the tear-down on their EcoBoost “Hero Engine” live at the Detroit Auto Show, and Pickup Trucks has the full run-down and lots of accompanying pictures. To refresh your memory, the “Hero Engine” was a production EcoBoost V6, pulled at random from the assembly line. First, it was strapped to a dyno and run to simulate the equivalent of 150,000 customer miles, with repeated temperature shock testing that took it from -20 F to 235 F as quickly as possible. Next, it was installed in a production F-150 and used to skid 110,000 pounds of logs in the Pacific Northwest. From there, the same truck was used to tow a load of 11,300 pounds around Miami’s Homestead Speedway, for 24 hours, at an average speed of 82 miles per hour. Not done yet, Ford sent the same truck to Davis Dam in Arizona, to go head-to-head against Dodge and Chevy in an uphill towing contest, hauling 9,000 pounds up a 6 percent grade. Finally, the engine was pulled and installed in Mike McCarthy’s Baja 1000 race truck. Following the race, the engine was pulled for a live tear-down at the Detroit Auto Show on Saturday, January 15. Read More…

The Edison2 Very Light Car (VLC) positively stomped the competition a few months ago during the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize challenge, returning an impressive 102.5 miles per gallon on E85 ethanol. Now the aeronautical four-seater is at the North American International Auto show in detroit to show off its wind-cheating body and hyper-efficient engine. Hit the jump to see a video tour by engadget. Read More…

The Maybach 62S: guaranteed to make a statement at your high school reunion.

Rumors about the death of uber-premium brand Maybach have been flying for years. In the years prior to 2008’s global economic meltdown, the Maybach seemed like a sensible gamble; there was, after all, a percentage of the population who wanted the absolute best of everything, cost be dammed. In the clear light of day, Daimler is beginning to seriously reconsider if the brand still makes sense in a more fiscally conservative climate. Read More…

The new VW Passat. Image: VW of America

Surprise! Volkswagen’s “NMS” teaser is really the next generation Passat, unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show. Like the smaller Jetta, the new Passat has been designed for America by Volkswagen in Germany. It’s the biggest Passat ever built (which says something about the EU’s perception of Americans), and it will be manufactured in VW’s new Chattanooga, TN, plant. Also like the Jetta, the new Passat is designed to have an “affordable” entry level price point; VW promises more details closer to launch, but tells us to expect a starting price around $20,000. Read More…

The 2012 Buick Verano. Photo: © GM Corp.

Buick is set to show their third new model in two years at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. The Verano is Buick’s entry into the compact luxury segment (although I have a hard time writing “Buick” and “compact” in the same sentence), and will slot into their product line below the recently launched Regal sedan. John Schwegman, Buick’s VP of marketing, sums up their reason for launching a compact sedan as follows: “Verano expands our lineup, continues Buick’s momentum and gives us a great opportunity to attract a new generation of customers with a product that delivers on their expectations for design, performance and technology. It is a smart choice that delivers unexpected luxury in a compact sedan – and it will compete head-to-head with competitors from Audi and Lexus.”

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The EcoBoost 'hero engine', after the Baja 1000. Photo: Ford Motor Company

You have to give Ford credit for having huevoes mas grande: it’s one thing to prove a point about the durability of your twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost engine, but it’s something else entirely to tear it down in public. Who knows what dirty little secrets lie within the engine’s heads and cylinders walls? Do you really want to run the risk of encountering a burned valve or scored cylinder walls in front of John Q. Public? If you’re Ford and the motor in question is EcoBoost V6, serial number 448AA, the answer is, “yes, at Ford’s powertrain display at the NAIAS, on January 15th at 11:00 a.m.” It’s enough to make me wish I were going to this year’s North American International Auto Show.

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Ford's latest creation, the C-MAX. Photo: Ford Motor Company

When Chrysler dropped the concept of a “minivan” on the American public in 1984, they captured lightening in a bottle. Accidentally or by design, the automaker had created the right vehicle at the right time; while compact vans (like the VW Bus) weren’t new, Chrysler minivans offered the practicality of a van with the ride and handling of a car. Americans bought them (and products from the competition) by the millions, and today minivans are a staple product in nearly every non-luxury automaker’s catalog.

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Chevy's Volt is one of three finalists.

When future automotive historians look back on 2011, I think they’ll mark this year as the beginning of the end of the automotive industry as we know it today. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is entirely based on your perspective, but one thing is certain: over the next five years, cars will get smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient and won’t be powered by gasoline alone. Automakers have no choice if they’re going to reach the level of fuel economy mandated by CAFE standards set to take effect in 2016, and cars like the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf are important first steps down a new automotive path.

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